2 AM Doubts and Stargazing
by Leave Me In Ruins
Summary: Pointless fluff where Dante and Zhalia couldn't sleep, written purely because I couldn't.


**A/N: Wow it's been a while. Let's see, since the last time I actually posted something I graduated from high school and started college. Yeah, I had a lot to do and spent more time thinking up ideas rather than actually writing them. Sorry about **_**No Promises**_ **but I will start working on that again although I'm not entirely sure when the next part will be done. Honestly, I wrote this after listening to Señorita for the first time and I don't know why but I suddenly just needed more Zhante.**

**On another note, I was looking at my old fics, and I seriously left writing notes in there and posted it like that and no one told me? Like that's an important criticism.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Huntik or Señorita (I mean the song isn't even in the fic but I mentioned it up there so I guess I should mention that)**

**Summary**: Pointless fluff where Dante and Zhalia couldn't sleep, written purely because I couldn't.

* * *

For what had to have been at least the fifth night in a row, Zhalia found herself unable to sleep. Most nights sleep took a while to find her but lately, she'd been falling asleep quickly only to be woken a little while later by an onslaught of nightmares. She'd dealt with them often enough that usually, she could just ignore them, but the current one plaguing her was different.

Every time she closed her eyes, the visions the Ring of Arc had shown her came rushing back. She'd only touched the cursed artifact for a few seconds before casting head cage, but it had been enough time for it to mess with her.

First, it was her shooting a spell at Lok and then it was Dante lying on a roof looking up at her and saying her name in disbelief. But then it was Klaus, seemingly defending himself from her, followed by a vision of her in Dante's arms looking like they were about to kiss.

The first two made it seem like she would succeed in her real mission, but the second two… she wasn't sure what to make of them but they definitely weren't supposed to be a part of her plans.

And all four were making sure to keep sleep far away from her.

She glanced over at the clock and saw it read two A.M. Figuring she wouldn't be getting rest any time soon, she grabbed her journal from under her pillow and got out of bed.

She intended to go straight to Dante's library but instead made a quick stop; more like two. The teens never bothered to lock their doors when they slept over at Dante's and given that they'd only gotten back from Ireland that evening, Zhalia doubted they'd start tonight.

She wasn't sure if it was the visions or the dread of finishing her mission that made her go and check on them, but she did. Of course, they were both sound asleep in their respective rooms.

The thought of checking on Dante crossed her mind, but she dismissed it immediately. Checking in on two naive kids was one thing but Dante was an adult, and the source of a lot of her problems lately.

When she finally did enter the library, she headed straight for the window alcove. The library was on the third floor which was just high enough for her to get a pretty good view of the night sky.

She had loved looking at the moon and stars since she was a little kid; it was one of the few joys she had growing up.

She could sense Gareon in the back of her mind asking her to come out so she summoned him. He immediately curled himself around her shoulders and let her scratch his head, in an attempt to comfort his distressed seeker.

Gareon might have been a deadly titan in a fight, but he was a softie at heart.

Zhalia leaned her back against the wall and opened up her journal. Between writing and watching the night sky, she hoped she would find some peace tonight.

* * *

Although he was exhausted, Dante hadn't been able to fall asleep. They'd gotten back from Ireland pretty late and he had suggested that the team spend the night at his house seeing as it was the closest to the airport. There had been no protests and they had all turned in for the night; even the teens were too tired to hang out.

He kept thinking back to their impromptu mission in Ireland. They'd had some pretty close calls and this seemed to be the general trend with their missions lately.

Realistically, Dante knew he couldn't prepare for everything but as team leader, he still felt responsible if any one of them were to get hurt. Lok and Sophie were still new and learning. Zhalia, on the other hand, was very experienced but had a tendency to ignore her limits and was still wary of relying on others.

Knowing he wouldn't be getting sleep any time soon, Dante got up to at least squash one of his concerns. He went to go check on Lok and Sophie, knowing that neither of the teens had gotten into the habit of locking their doors.

Checking in on Lok and Sophie made him feel like a parent making sure his kids were safe. He would've liked to check on Zhalia as well, but she was no doubt, asleep with her door locked.

Or at least that's what he expected. Zhalia's room was just down the hall from the teens and even in the darkness, Dante could see that her door was open. Upon closer inspection, he found that her room was also empty.

While there were plenty of logical explanations for this, Dante's sleep-deprived brain decided paranoia was the way to go. Zhalia had been acting odd on their last mission, even freezing up during the battle. She had brushed off his concerns later, stating that she was fine and then making sure they weren't alone long enough for him to ask again.

He knew Zhalia well enough to know that if something was wrong, she wouldn't look for an ear to talk to, but would rather look for a distraction until she solved the problem on her own. The last time she was like this was just after their battle with Medea. While the rest of the team had been sound asleep below the deck of the boat, Zhalia had decided to stay above deck. Dante had found her asleep there in the morning and she'd only given him a curt, but a surprisingly honest answer when he asked her about it.

"_I like looking at the stars, it calms me down."_

He doubted that she would've actually gone outside at this hour but he knew a good spot in his house for hiding away and still getting to see the sky.

* * *

Sure enough, he found her in the library. Dante stared at the blue-haired woman before him. She was sitting at the window alcove staring out at the night sky. He wasn't even sure if she knew he was there but he didn't attempt to alert her, as if he was trying not to break the spell of calm that radiated from her. Actually, calm wasn't the right word; Zhalia was always composed. No, right now she seemed… peaceful, like she didn't have her guard up and was free to relax, something Dante had never observed her doing.

"How long are you planning on standing there?" Zhalia asked, her gaze never leaving the sky.

Of course, she had noticed him; she was a highly trained operative, and he wasn't exactly a master of stealth.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting I couldn't sleep," Dante answered.

Zhalia shifted, bringing her legs closer to her body and turned her head to face Dante, her peaceful demeanor now replaced an anxious one. "Me neither," she answered quietly. Dante took that as an unspoken invitation and made his way over to sit beside her.

"Is something bothering you? You've seemed on edge lately," Dante asked.

If Zhalia hadn't been so sleep-deprived and guilt-ridden, she would've laughed at the irony of the situation. Here she was worrying about completing her mission while her target was worried about her well being.

Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own. "The Ring of Arc, did the Foundation ever figure out what was wrong with it?"

While this question confused Dante, he still answered it. "No, they still haven't been able to break the curse on it." That had been one of their first missions together as a team and honestly, it felt like a lifetime ago, so he was surprised by her bringing it up but then again, two A.M. was the perfect time for doubts and insecurities to creep up on a person. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

Zhalia turned back to face the moon, clearly not wanting to answer that question but Dante was really starting to worry about her and wasn't about to let it go so easily. "Zhal … did the Ring of Arc show you something? Lok and Sophie told us about their visions but you never mentioned if you had any."

Zhalia tensed slightly at the pet name. Dante had only used it once before and she was a little worried about how much she'd like the effect it had on her. Against her better judgment, she found herself answering him. Well, indirectly anyway. "I saw myself and I … I was — I don't even know what I was doing." She hugged her knees to chest and hid her face out of frustration.

This made Dante even more concerned because Zhalia really wasn't acting like herself. He moved closer to her and gently cupped her face in his hand, prompting her to look up at him.

"Hey it's like Lok said, the ring was just trying to mess with you. Just because Joan of Arc could see the future doesn't mean you did." He said trying to get her to relax again.

Words slipped out of her mouth before her brain even had a chance to process them. "And what if it's right? What if I hurt them, what if I hurt you?" It was a question she'd been asking herself a lot lately, wondering how Dante would feel if once he knew the truth, but oh, she regretted those words immediately. If he didn't think she was suspicious before, he sure as hell would now.

But, as cliché as it sounds, sometimes love really is blind.

Dante moved his hand from her face to hold her hand, his expression much more serious than before. "I don't know what that ring showed you but the future's not set in stone Zhal. And even if something does happen, I trust you. I don't think you could ever do something beyond forgiveness." His feelings for her were a lot more than just trust but he wasn't about to add that part now.

Sincerity was practically dripping from his voice and Zhalia was torn between wanting to hit him for being so naive or hug him for his damned bleeding heart.

Dante, on the other hand, had only one goal on his mind right now: to make Zhalia feel better or at least distract her from doubts.

"Hold on I have an idea," He said suddenly and then got up and left the library quickly, leaving Zhalia alone with her thoughts.

Klaus had been on her case lately about finishing up her mission but if her adopted father found out about this slip up he would probably have her hospitalized and force her to see a shrink. Despite his usually cold personality, he really did care for her like a daughter and would probably worry something was seriously wrong.

But Zhalia knew exactly what was wrong. It was two kids and a talking titan who managed to approach things with their child-like innocence despite their first real experiences with the world. It was a team that treated her as part of the family even if they bickered constantly. And most of all it was a russet-haired golden boy who could disarm her with something as simple as a pet name and his trust. Damn it. This mission wasn't supposed to be hard. He wasn't supposed to be hard.

She must've really been starting to panic because she didn't even notice Dante had come back until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, come on and follow me," She looked up at him questioningly. "I promised it will take your mind off of all this." He had a warm smile on his face. Cautiously, Zhalia got up and followed Dante out of the library and upstairs.

Mentally, she ordered Gareon to take her journal back to her room. She might have been sleep-deprived, but she wasn't dumb enough to leave it laying around where anyone could find it. She had already raised enough red flags, she wasn't about to leave a smoking gun laying around.

Dante led the way up to his rooftop deck and this time, Zhalia couldn't help but laugh at how cliché the situation was.

"Figured stargazing would much easier up here." Dante had laid out several pillows and blankets and combined with the unobstructed view of the night sky that could only come from being outdoors on a clear night, it really was the perfect set up for star gazing.

Dante was already sitting down and was looking at Zhalia expectantly. "What? Too cliché?" He asked.

The more she spent time with him, the more he surprised her. This latest stunt would complicate her mission a lot more, but what the hell she thought. She had complicated her mission a lot just now, and she decided that just for tonight, she was going to be the Foundation agent Dante thought she was. One amazing night before she went back to worrying.

"No...it's perfect," Zhalia answered with a small smile, and she sat down beside him.

* * *

The two seekers dealt with their shared insomnia by getting lost in the stars above them. Zhalia had told Dante once that she loved the stars and as he lied there listening to her point out constellations and talking about the stories behind them, he realized this was the most he'd heard her speak at once.

Her eyes never left the sky but his seemed to keep drifting back to the raven-haired woman beside him, finding the stars in her eyes to be much more beautiful than any of the ones in the sky.

Dante wasn't sure how long they'd been up there but at some point, Zhalia had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder and her body slightly turned towards him. While Dante was really enjoying watching her in this peaceful state, he knew they couldn't stay out here all night.

Careful not to wake her, Dante got up and took the bluenette seeker into his arms. She stirred a bit and mumbled something incoherently, but didn't seem to really wake up so Dante made his way back downstairs and to her room.

Upon entering, he found Gareon was still invoked and was curled up on the nightstand on top of Zhalia's journal. The titan looked at Dante warily but didn't make any attempt to attack him, which Dante took as a good sign.

Dante placed Zhalia on the bed and covered her with the blanket which led to Zhalia curling up into the blankets and her hair covering her face. Dante moved his hand, intending to just brush her hair away but found himself cupping her face with his thumb lightly tracing over her lips.

Dante wasn't someone who easily got caught up in another person, but with Zhalia, he wasn't so sure. It was like everything she did just pulled him in and made him want to get close, even though she had her walls up to keep him at a safe distance.

The clock in the room read 4:35 AM in red lights and he figured he better go and get some sleep before he did something stupid. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to leave before he placed a quick kiss on her forehead and whispered a quiet "good night."

What he missed though was Zhalia's eyes fluttering open for the briefest of moments. In the morning, she wouldn't remember if she dreamt that kiss or not, but one thing was certain.

She wouldn't be making any clean breaks when this mission was over.

Well, maybe she would with Sophie.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you guys think? Sorry if there are any continuity errors but I've read so much fanfiction for this fandom that I don't really remember what actually happened. Like I swear I remember the ring of arc actually giving Zhalia visions but I watched back that episode and didn't, so I'm just going to pretend it did.**

**~Ruins~**


End file.
